System and method of providing post-purchase media content to a subscriber

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving purchase data at one or more computing devices associated with a media service provider. The purchase data includes information descriptive of a particular purchase made by a subscriber of the media service provider from a seller, where the seller is independent from the media service provider. The method also includes selecting media content available from the media service provider based on the purchase data. At least a portion of the selected media content is sent to a device associated with the subscriber.

BACKGROUND

Advances in technology have provided opportunities for manufacturers andretailers to save costs associated with providing certain functions ofafter purchase customer care. For example, the costs of providinginstructions or customer support may be reduced by providing suchinstructions as downloadable content via a network. However, somecustomers may not be able to access Internet based content. Accordingly,potential cost savings may not be available since customer carefunctions for these customers may not be reduced. To illustrate,customers that do not have an Internet connection may not be able toaccess how-to manuals or other instructional information, therebyrequiring the manufacturer or retailer to provide other avenues toenable the customer to access this information, such as delivery ofprinted materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of a system ofproviding post-purchase media content to a subscriber;

FIG. 2 is a diagram to illustrate another particular embodiment of asystem of providing post-purchase media content to a subscriber;

FIG. 3 is a diagram to illustrate another particular embodiment of asystem of providing post-purchase media content to a subscriber;

FIG. 4 is a diagram to illustrate another particular embodiment of asystem of providing post-purchase media content to a subscriber;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod of providing post-purchase media content to a subscriber;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod of facilitating post-purchase communication between a subscriberand a responsible party; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a generalcomputer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many consumers that do not have Internet access do have access totelevision-type interfaces. Typically, television-type interfaces arearranged for one-way information transfer. For example, a televisionservice provider may send information that is received and displayed atthe television interface. Additionally, a conventional televisioninterface may not be arranged for conveniently searching for particularinformation. Thus, even if customer care information were available viathe television interface, it may be difficult for a consumer to identifycustomer care content that is relevant to them by using an electronicprogram guide or other search interface available via the television.

In accordance with the disclosed techniques, a media service provider(such as a television content provider) may cooperate withmanufacturers, retailers, or other providers of customer careinformation to enable the customer care information to be providedconveniently to customers via a television content provider network. Themedia content provider may provide a set of product or service channelsthat have information, such as how-to videos, on-line manuals,troubleshooting installation information, registration information, andconfiguration instructions to provide customer care follow-upinformation after purchases. The customer care information may becustomized to the needs of the particular subscriber that accesses theinformation. For example, specific information may be provided to themedia service provider from a seller or a subscriber providing specificinformation to the media service provider. The seller may be independentfrom the media service provider, and thus not merely an electronicstorefront of the media service provider. In particular implementations,barcode or receipt information may be provided by the seller or by apurchaser (e.g. the subscriber) in order to access specific customercare information. The customer care information may be provided by themedia service provider as video-on-demand content that includes variousvideo clips.

A media service provider may also provide other services to purchasersto increase customer satisfaction. For example, the media serviceprovider may store a list of purchases made by a subscriber and may usethe list of purchases to provide follow-up information such as recallnotices, notices of warranty expiration, and available updates orupgrades to a particular purchased product. Additionally, the mediaservice provider may provide subscriber generated or user generatedmedia content associated with a particular purchase. For example, thesubscriber may generate a custom greeting or other message to accompanycustomer care information that will later be provided when a particularpurchase is a gift. Additionally, the media service provider may use alist of purchases made by the subscriber or purchaser to identifycontact information and facilitate the customer being able to access aresponsible party associated with a particular purchased item in orderfor the customer to receive follow up information (e.g., to facilitaterepairs or return of the product).

In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving purchase data atone or more computing devices associated with a media service provider.The purchase data includes information descriptive of a particularpurchase made by a subscriber of the media service provider from aseller, where the seller is independent from the media service provider.The method also includes selecting media content available from themedia service provider based on the purchase data. The method furtherincludes sending at least a portion of the selected media content to adevice associated with the subscriber.

In another particular embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablemedium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, causethe processor to receive purchase data at one or more computing devicesassociated with a media service provider. The purchase data includesinformation descriptive of a particular purchase made by a subscriber ofthe media service provider from a seller, where the seller isindependent from the media service provider. The instructions are alsoexecutable to select media content available from the media serviceprovider based on the purchase data and to send at least a portion ofthe selected media content to a device associated with the subscriber.The instructions are further executable to identify at least oneresponsible party associated with the particular purchase based at leastpartially on the purchase data. The at least one responsible partyincludes at least one of a manufacturer, a distributor, and the seller.The instructions are executable to automatically determine contactinformation associated with the at least one responsible party and tosend the contact information to the device associated with thesubscriber in response to a user request.

In another particular embodiment, a set-top box device includes aprocessor and a memory that is coupled to the processor and that storesinstructions executable by the processor. The instructions areexecutable by the processor to transmit purchase data to a media serviceprovider, where the purchase data includes information descriptive of aparticular purchase made by a subscriber of the media service providerfrom a seller that is independent from the media service provider. Theinstructions are also executable to receive media content from the mediaservice provider, where the media content is selected based on thepurchase data.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first particular embodiment of a systemto provide customer care information to a user. The system includes amedia service provider 104 that has one or more computing devices 102.For example, the one or more computing devices 102 associated with themedia service provider 104 may include server computing devices locatedat the media service provider's office or location, set-top box devices,such as the set-top box device 132 that is associated with the mediaservice provider 104 and with a particular subscriber or purchaser 130.

The media service provider 104 provides media content services, such asInternet Protocol Television (IPTV) services, via a network. The mediaservice provider 104 may also provide additional services, such astelephony or Internet access services to the subscriber 130. It shouldbe noted, however, that providing of such additional services is notnecessary for a customer care service to be provided as describedherein.

In a particular embodiment, the media service provider 104 may contractwith one or more sellers, manufacturers, or distributors to providecustomer care information to subscribers of the media service provider104. For example, the media service provider 104 may have an agreementwith a seller 120 to provide customer care information. To illustrate,the media service provider 104 may provide the customer care informationby sending customer care information to the set-top box device 132associated with the subscriber 130 for display at a television 133.

For example, when the subscriber 130 makes a purchase from the seller120, the seller 120 may provide a receipt 122 to the subscriber 130. Thereceipt 122 may include purchase data 124. For example, the purchasedata 124 may include information about the particular product or servicepurchased by the subscriber 130 from the seller 120. In a particularembodiment, the purchase data 124 may be encoded on the receipt 122 viaa barcode 123. For example, the barcode 123 may be a line barcode, suchas a universal product code (UPC), or may include a matrix barcode (alsoreferred to as a quick response (QR) code or a two-dimensional barcode).The subscriber 130 may have access to a barcode scanning device 134(e.g., coupled to the set-top box device). The barcode scanning device134 may be used by the subscriber 130 to provide the barcode 123 to theset-top box device 132, and the set-top box device 132 may capture andsend the purchase data 124 to the media service provider 104.

In a particular embodiment, the barcode scanning device 134 isintegrated into a remote control device associated with the set-top box132. For example, the remote control device may be provided with abarcode reader (e.g., a camera or optical scanner) that enables readingof the barcode 123 from the receipt 122. The purchase data 124 may be arelatively large set of data to transfer via an infrared communicationprotocol between the remote control device and the set-top box device132. For example, the purchase data 124 may include informationdescriptive of a particular purchase made by a purchaser, such as thesubscriber 130. Accordingly, the remote control device may be adapted tostore the purchase data 124 on-board the remote control device and totransfer the purchase data 124 to the set-top box device 132 duringperiods when the remote control device is not in use. Additionally, theremote control device may include an alerting sub-system to provide analert to the subscriber 130 when information is received at the set-topbox device 132 from the media service provider 104.

In another particular embodiment, the barcode scanning device 134 isintegrated into a mobile phone that is operable to communicate with theset-top box device 132 (e.g., via a wired or wireless customer premisesnetwork). Alternately, the subscriber 130 may input the purchase data124 via a device other than the barcode scanning device 134 and/or theset-top box device 132.

The media service provider 104 may store the purchase data 124 in a listof purchases 108 associated with the subscriber 130. For example, whennew purchase data 124 is received at the one or more computing devices102, the one or more computing devices 102 may access subscriberinformation 106 that is associated with the subscriber 130. For example,the computing devices 102 may access subscriber information 106 based onwhich particular set-top box device 132 the purchase data 124 wasreceived from, based on user access credentials, or both.

The media service provider 104 may also access particular media content144 from a set of media content 110 and may send the particular mediacontent 144 to the set-top box device 132 associated with the subscriber130. The selected media content 144 may include customer care contentassociated with the particular purchase made by the subscriber 130. Forexample, the selected media content 144 may include seller generatedcontent 140 that is generated by the seller 120 at the time of purchaseof the particular product or prior to purchase of a particular product.For example, the seller generated content 140 may include a thank-youmessage or offers for follow on purchases.

In another example, the selected media content 144 may include usergenerated content 141. For example, the user generated content 141 mayinclude content that the purchaser 130 sent to the media serviceprovider 104 from a purchaser location associated with the purchaser.Alternately, the content 141 may have been generated at the seller 120by the purchaser 130. By way of example, and not limitation, the usergenerated content 141 may include personalized greeting or otherpersonalized message that was generated by the purchaser 130 while thepurchaser was buying a gift for another subscriber (not shown) of themedia service provider 104. The other subscriber may receive thepersonalized greeting/message along with the gift.

Subscribers, purchasers, or sellers may also provide other data 142 tothe media service provider 104 that is used to facilitate selecting themedia content 144. For example, the other data 142 may indicate how thesubscriber 130 intends to use the particular product. To illustrate,when the subscriber 130 purchases a car seat from the seller 120, thesubscriber 130 may provide information about a particular car that thesubscriber 130 will be using the car seat in. The other data 142 may besent to the media service provider 104 to select appropriate customercare information in the form of selected media content 144. For example,the selected customer care information may include installationinstructions that are tailored to the specific car that the subscriber130 intends to use the car set in.

In a particular embodiment, the subscriber 130 or another purchaser mayprovide control criteria 146 to the media service provider 104. Thecontrol criteria 146 may include information about when and how theselected media content 144 is to be provided. To illustrate, when thesubscriber 130 has bought a gift and provided the purchase data 142 tothe media service provider 104, the subscriber 130 may further specifycontrol criteria 146 indicating when the selected media content 144should be sent to the set-top box device 132 (e.g., a particular dateand/or time corresponding to the gift recipient's birthday).

In a particular embodiment, the subscriber 130 may upload a set ofpurchase information or purchase data 124 via a removable memory device135 coupled to the set-top box device 132. For example, to initiallypopulate the list of purchases 108, it may be expedient for thesubscriber 130 to generate and store a list of purchases onto a portableuniversal serial bus (USB) storage device or other removable memorydevice 135, and upload the list of purchases 108 from the set-top boxdevice 132 via the removable memory device 135 rather than via thebarcode scanning device 134. In another example, in order to provide thelist of purchases 108 to another device, the list of purchases 108 maybe downloaded from the media service provider 104 onto the removablememory device 135 for transfer to another device, such as a computingdevice associated with the subscriber 130.

FIG. 1 may thus enable a media service provider 104 to providepost-purchase customer care information to the subscriber 130, where thecustomer care information is associated with a prior purchase made bythe subscriber 130. Moreover, the media service provider 104 may providesuch customer care information even in situations where the subscriber130 made the purchase from a third-party seller that is not associatedwith the subscriber.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second particular embodiment of a systemto provide customer care information. In the particular systemillustrated in FIG. 2, the subscriber 130 may be associated with usercredentials 202 that are used by the media service provider 104 touniquely identify the subscriber 130 or a set of subscribers associatedwith the set-top box device 132. For example, when the set-top boxdevice 132 is associated with more than one subscriber, the subscriber130 may be associated with the user credentials 202 that differentiatethe subscriber 130 from other subscribers associated with the set-topbox device 132. To illustrate, each member of a family may havedifferent user credentials 202. The user credentials 202 may be used bythe media service provider 104 to identify which particular purchases ofthe list of purchases 108 are associated with the subscriber 130. In oneembodiment, only the subscriber 130, and not any other subscribers, hasaccess to the list of purchases 108 associated with the particularsubscriber 130. For example, the subscriber 130 may be prompted toprovide the user credentials 202 prior to being granted access to thelist of purchases 108.

The list of purchases 108, and any other information available to themedia service provider 104, may be used to gather customer careinformation for the subscriber 130. For example, the subscriber 130 maysend a search request 204 to the media service provider 104. The searchrequest 204 may be associated with a particular purchase or with aparticular product previously purchased by the subscriber 130. Inresponse to the search request 204, the media service provider 104 mayaccess the list of purchases 108. The media service provider 104 maygather product information 210 associated with the particular purchaseor purchases identified in the search request 204. For example, wherethe subscriber 130 has previously viewed media content 110 associatedwith the particular purchase and requests to re-access the mediacontent, the subscriber 130 may send a search request 204 that is usedby the media service provider 104 to again select the particular mediacontent associated with the purchased item and to provide the mediacontent or other information as product information 210 to thesubscriber 130.

In another example, the media service provider 104 may access enablingdata 212 that is sent to the subscriber 130 in response to the searchrequest 204. To illustrate, a purchase made by the subscriber 130 mayinclude a product that is deactivated upon purchase. The product may beconfigured to be activated using the enabling data 212 (e.g., anactivation code) from the media service provider 104. Thus, the mediaservice provider 104 may provide added value to sellers or otherresponsible parties 240. For example, not sending the enabling data 212until after the purchase is made may reduce lost revenue due to theft.

As another example, in response to the search request 204, the mediaservice provider 104 may access contact information 214 associated withone or more responsible parties 240. For example, the contentinformation 214 may include a name, address, and e-mail addressassociated with the responsible party 240. The responsible party 240 maybe a manufacturer, a distributor, a seller, or other responsible partyassociated with a particular purchase made by the subscriber 130.

The media service provider 104 may also automatically initiate a call222 to the responsible party 240. For example, if the subscriber 130 isassociated with a communication device 220, the media service provider104 may generate a call to the responsible party 240 and bridge the callto the communication device 220 via a network 230. Thus, the mediaservice provider 104 may facilitate routing a call between thesubscriber 130 and the appropriate responsible party 240 for aparticular purchase. To illustrate, within a return period (e.g., 30days) of making a purchase, the media service provider 104 may route thesubscriber 130 via a call to a particular seller associated with thepurchase. However, after the return period has expired, the responsibleparty 240 may be changed to a manufacturer that underwrites a warrantyassociated with the particular purchased item.

Accordingly, the media service provider 104 may use the list ofpurchases 108 to intelligently route the subscriber 130 to theappropriate responsible party 240. Additionally, the responsible party240 may provide expedited service to calls generated by the mediaservice provider 104 as an additional value added service provided tothe subscriber 130.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another particular embodiment ofa system for providing customer care information to subscribers. In thesystem illustrated in FIG. 3, the media service provider 104 providesnotifications or alerts 304 to the subscriber 130 via the set-top boxdevice 132.

The media service provider 104 may access the subscriber information 106to identify other communication devices associated with the subscriber130 to provide the notifications 304. For example, the subscriberinformation 106 may identify a computing device 306 or a computingaddress (e.g., an IP address, media access control (MAC) address, or ane-mail address) associated with the subscriber 130. The media serviceprovider 104 may transmit the notification 304 to the computing device306.

In another example, the subscriber information 106 may identify acommunication device, such as the mobile telephony device 308 associatedwith the subscriber 130. The notification 304 may be sent to the set-topbox device 132, the computing device 306, the mobile telephony device308, another communication device (not shown), or any combinationthereof.

In a particular embodiment, which particular devices the notifications304 are sent to is determined based on the type of information containedwithin the notifications 304. For example, when notification 304includes information regarding a software product upgrade, the mediaservice provider 104 may send the notification 304 to the computingdevice 306 where the software is installed and used. In another example,when the notification 304 indicates that a warranty has expired or isabout to expire, the notification 304 may be sent the set-top box device132 for display at the television 133 the next time the subscriber 130turns on the set-top box device 132. In yet another example, the mediaservice provider 104 may receive consumer notices 302, such as productrecall or emergency notices. The media service provider 104 may accesslists of purchases 108 associated each subscriber and identifysubscribers that previously purchased the product that is subject to therecall or emergency. The media service provider 104 may send thenotification 304 associated with the consumer notice 302 to all devices,including the set-top box device 132, the computing device 306, and themobile telephony device 308.

In a particular embodiment, when an urgent notification is received fromthe media service provider 104, the set-top box device 132 may send theurgent notification to a remote control device associated with theset-top box device 132. The remote control device may be adapted toflash, vibrate, make noise, or otherwise get the subscriber's attentionto indicate that an urgent notification is available via the set-top boxdevice 132.

Thus, the system of FIG. 3 may enable the media service provider 104 totransit post-purchase product notifications, such as upgrade offers andemergency product recall notices, to the subscriber 130. In addition,the system of FIG. 3 may enable transmitting such notifications tomultiple subscriber devices based on the content and urgency of thenotifications.

FIG. 4 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of operationin accordance with the systems and method disclosed herein. Theparticular operational embodiment is described with reference to ahypothetical user Alice 421. Alice's sister Jane 401 has been invited toAlice's baby shower.

Prior to the baby shower, Jane 401 may visit a retailer 400 to purchasea gift. For example, Jane 401 may purchase a car seat. Jane's purchaseof the car seat as a gift may generate purchase data 403. For example,the purchase data 403 indicates that the “Car Seat” product is for a“CarCo Sedan” vehicle and is intended for gift recipient “Alice,” whoowns a “CarCo Sedan” and is an “IPTV” customer. A sales associate at theretailer 400 may use a computer 404 to generate a barcode 402representative of the purchase data 403. The barcode 402 may be encodedon a purchase receipt (e.g., gift receipt) provided to Jane 401.

The computer 404 may also transmit information regarding the barcode 402and/or the purchase data 403 to one or more IPTV servers 411 that arepart of an IPTV infrastructure 410. For example, the IPTV infrastructure410 may be associated with an IPTV media service provider. The IPTVservers 411 may include request servers, content distribution servers,electronic program guide servers, analytics servers, video-on-demandservers, special content servers, and other servers. The IPTVinfrastructure 410 may also include a private IP network 412, a wirelineor wireless (e.g., WiMax) network 413 or both.

During the baby shower at Alice's house 420, Jane 401 may present Alice421 with the car seat gift. Alice 421 may use a remote control device422 to scan the barcode 402 on the gift receipt. The barcode 402 ormetadata based on the barcode 402 may be transmitted from the remotecontrol device 422 to the IPTV servers 411 via a set-top box 423 and aresidential gateway 424 at Alice's house 420. The IPTV servers 411 maytransmit media content 450 to the set-top box 423. For example, themedia content 450 may be a how-to video clip that explains how toinstall the car seat in a CarCo Sedan vehicle. The set-top box 423 maydisplay the media content 450 at a television 425. In an alternateembodiment, the media content 450 may be retrieved from the Internet430.

In a particular embodiment the purchase data 403 indicates that Alice421 owns a wireless phone that is capable of displaying the mediacontent 450. In this embodiment, Alice 421 may go to her garage andwatch the media content 450 on her phone while installing the car seatin her CarCo Sedan.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a first particular embodiment of a method ofproviding customer care information. For example, the method of FIG. 5may be performed by one or more computing systems or computing devicesof a media service provider 104, such as the one or more computingdevices 102 of FIGS. 1 through 3.

The method may include, at 502, receiving and storing media content. Themedia content may include user generated media content or media contentgenerated by a responsible party (e.g., a manufacturer, a distributor,or a seller of a particular purchased good or service). To illustrate,user generated content may include a custom greeting or otherinformation that is to be provided with other customer care informationwhen media content is accessed in association with a particularpurchase. The seller generated content may include a thank-you messagegenerated by a seller.

The method may also include, at 504, receiving purchase data includinginformation descriptive of a particular purchase from a seller that ismade by a subscriber of a media service provider. The seller may beindependent of the media service provider. For example, the particularpurchase may not have been made from the media service provider, and mayinstead have been made from a retail seller, an Internet-based seller, awholesaler, or another seller that is independent of the media serviceprovider. The purchase data may be encoded onto a receipt by the seller.For example, the purchase data may be encoded into a barcode on thereceipt. In this example, the purchase data may be accessed by use of abarcode scanning device by the subscriber. The barcode may includeinformation identifying a particular product that was purchased as wellas other information that is specified by the purchaser, such as apersonal note added by the purchaser or information indicating aspecific use to which the purchaser intends to apply the purchasedproduct. In a particular embodiment, the purchase data may be receivedvia a set-top box device associated with the subscriber or the mediaservice provider. In this example, the method may also include accessingsubscriber information based on a particular set-top box device thatsends the purchase data to the media service provider. Particular mediacontent may be selected based on the purchase data encoded on thereceipt and on the subscriber information.

The method may further include, at 506, selecting media content that isavailable via the media service provider based on the purchase data. Forexample, the media content may be selected based on subscriberinformation, based on information encoded in a purchase receipt, basedon information provided directly from the seller, based on otherinformation associated with the purchase or any combination thereof. Theselected media content may include video content that is associated witha particular purchase. For example, the video content may include ahow-to video associated with the purchase. The how-to video maydemonstrate installation, troubleshooting, registration, orconfiguration of a purchased product or service.

The method may include receiving control criteria, at 508. For example,the control criteria may be received from the subscriber and may includetime and/or date criteria associated with presentation of the selectedmedia content. A portion of the selected media content may be sent to adevice associated with the subscriber in response to determining thatthe control criteria have been satisfied. To illustrate, the method mayinclude, at 510, determining whether control criteria is satisfied.

When the control criteria is not satisfied, the method may continue tosearch/wait until the control criteria is satisfied at 510. When thecontrol criteria is satisfied, the method may proceed and may send atleast a portion of the selected media content to the device associatedwith the subscriber, at 512. For example, the device associated with thesubscriber may be a set-top box device, a television, a computingdevice, a communication device, or some other device.

The method may also include, at 514, sending enabling data related tothe purchased product based on the purchase data. For example, thepurchased product may be disabled until the enabling data is received.To illustrate, the particular purchased product may be a softwareapplication whose installation requires an activation code or productkey, and the enabling data may include the required activation code orproduct key.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of another particular embodiment of a methodof providing customer care information. The method may be performed by acomputing device associated with a media service provider, such as oneor more computing devices 102 or the set-top box device 132 illustratedin FIGS. 1 through 3. The computing device may include one or moreset-top box devices or one or more server computing devices associatedwith the media service provider.

The method may include, at 602, downloading at least a portion of a listof purchases from a removable memory device coupled to a deviceassociated with a subscriber. For example, the list of purchases may bestored on a removable memory device that can be coupled to a set-top boxdevice associated with the subscriber. The list of purchases may includeprevious purchases made by the subscriber or may include a recentpurchase by the subscriber.

The method may include, at 604, storing the list of purchases based onpurchase data. The purchase data may include the list of purchasesuploaded from the removable media device, at 602, or may includepurchase data that is input by or on behalf of the subscriber withrespect to a particular purchase. For example, the purchase data may bestored on a receipt provided to the purchaser by a seller. The receiptmay have an encoded barcode that encodes purchase data that may becommunicated by the purchaser or subscriber to the media serviceprovider.

The method may include, at 606, sending a notification to the deviceassociated with a subscriber based on information from the list ofpurchases. For example, when a warranty associated with a particularpurchased item is approaching an expiration date, a media serviceprovider may send a notification to the device associated with thesubscriber.

The method may include, at 608, receiving information including aconsumer notice related to a particular product. When the particularproduct is identified in the list of purchases associated with aparticular subscriber, the method may include sending a notice, at 606,to the device associated with the subscriber. For example, when theconsumer notice includes a recall associated with a particular productpurchased by the subscriber, the media service provider may send anotice to a device associated with the subscriber to notify thesubscriber of the recall. In another example, the consumer notice mayinclude a notice of an upgrade or a notice of a sale associated with arelated product.

In a particular embodiment, the method may include, at 610, receiving asearch request related to a particular product. The method may alsoinclude, at 612, receiving user credentials associated with thesubscriber. In response to receipt of the search request, the usercredentials, or any combination thereof, the method may include, at 614,sending information associated with a particular product from the listof purchases to the device associated with the subscriber. Toillustrate, the list of purchases may be associated with the subscriberby way of specific user credentials. When the user credentials arereceived, the list of purchases may be provided to the subscriber forthe subscriber to browse through and select a particular product. Asanother example, the subscriber may be able to input search criteriathat may be used to search the list of purchases for information about aspecific purchase or product. The information provided from the list ofpurchases may include information provided by the purchase data as wellas information that was gathered separately from the purchase data. Forexample, information associated with a particular product may includecustomer care information that was not provided by the purchase data butwas provided by a responsible party, such as the seller, a distributor,or a manufacturer of the particular product. For example, theinformation may include particular media content that includes customercare information such as how-to video demonstrations of how-to use,install, troubleshoot, register, or configure a particular product. Inanother example, the information may include user manuals or warrantyinformation associated with the product.

The method may include, at 616, identifying at least one responsibleparty associated with a particular purchase based at least partially onpurchase data. For example the responsible party may be a manufacturer,a distributor, a seller, another party associated with a warranty,upkeep, manufacture, or distribution of the particular product. Themethod may also include, at 618, automatically determining contactinformation associated with the responsible party. The contactinformation may be sent, at 620, to the device associated with thesubscriber in response to a user request. For example, in response tothe user entering search criteria related to the particular product, themedia service provider may transmit the contact information to thesubscriber. In a particular embodiment, the method includes, at 622,initiating a call based on the contact information in response to userrequests. For example, the call may automatically be initiated inresponse to the user indicating a desire to contact the responsibleparty. Initiating the call may include generating a call to theresponsible party from the media service provider, generating a call toa communication device associated with a subscriber, and bridging thecall to the responsible party and the call to the subscriber.

Accordingly, the systems and methods illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6enable provision of customer care information to subscribers of a mediaservice provider. Provision of the customer care information to thesubscribers of the media service provider may reduce costs to a seller,manufacturer, distributor, or other responsible parties associated witha particular product or service. The media service provider may providecustomized video information such as how-to information to subscribers.Additionally, the media service provider may provide other services thatfacilitate use, repair, troubleshooting, and other customer carefunctions associated with a particular purchase.

For example, after viewing a video-on-demand clip that providestroubleshooting information and performing various troubleshootingsteps, a user may determine that a particular problem is associated withtheir product. The media service provider may provide contactinformation to contact the responsible party in order to identify neededpart based on the troubleshooting steps or may provide an input formthat allows selection of the particular part and ordering of theparticular part directly via the media service provider, (e.g., set-topbox device and television coupled to the media service providernetwork). As another example, where the user has purchased a replacementpart to be installed on a previously purchased product, purchaseinformation associated with the replacement part may be input and theinstructions to install the replacement part in the previously purchasedproduct may be presented via media information from the media serviceprovider.

In a particular embodiment, using a remote control device associatedwith the set-top box device to provide barcode reader capability mayfacilitate input of purchase data to enable easier searching or input ofinformation associated with purchased products. The purchase data may beprovided to a subscriber from a seller that provides customized contentfor a particular product. For example, the purchase data may point tospecific media content that is associated with a particular purchase,such as seller or user generated media content that is associated onlywith this particular seller and with this particular purchase. Asanother example, the customized purchase data may include informationabout a specific intended use of the purchased product provided from thepurchaser to the seller at the time of purchase. The specific intendeduse information may be encoded onto the receipt (for example, via abarcode) to facilitate input of the specific intended use information bytransmission of the purchase data to the media service provider network.To illustrate, where the purchaser intends to use the purchased productfor a particular purpose, e.g., to install it in a particular car, theinformation identifying a particular model and type of car may beprovided by the purchaser to the seller at the time of purchase. Theinformation may be encoded into the purchase data to facilitateinformation transfer of the purchase data to the media service providerfor selection of media content for generation of a list of purchaseditems.

In another example, the purchase data may be associated with enablingdata at the media service provider. The purchased product may bedisabled until the enabling data is received. Thus, the purchase dataprovided to the media service provider may be used to access theenabling data which is then sent to a device associated with thesubscriber for input or provision to the purchased product to enable theproduct.

Additionally, provision of the customer care information via the mediaservice provider may enable multi-lingual support to be provided. Forexample, when a subscriber makes a purchase and a particular language ofcustomer care information is not provided via information with thepurchased item, the subscriber may use the media service providernetwork to access appropriate language customer care information. Theappropriate language customer care information may be selected based onsubscriber information stored at the media service provider. Forexample, if the Spanish language is indicated in the subscriberinformation as the preferred language associated with the subscriber,the media service provider may automatically select Spanish languagecustomer care information associated with purchases made by thesubscriber.

Accordingly, the systems and methods described may enable creation ofnew business models for television service providers or other mediaservice providers to enter into contractual agreements withmanufacturers, retailers, product service providers, other thirdparties, and responsible parties associated with particular products.The media service providers may provide information to customers andother responsible parties as a value-added service to the responsibleparty or to subscribers. Media service providers may designate a set ofchannels for video-on-demand content specifically associated withmarketing and provision of customer care information. A set ofapplication programming interfaces (APIs) may be provided to responsibleparties to permit input of media content and information associated withmedia content with specific purchases. Additionally, the APIs may beprovided to allow the responsible parties to send consumer notices orother information, such as up-sell information or notifications ofrelated products, to the media service provider for provision ofnotifications to customers associated with particular products. Anadditional set of APIs may be provided to allow access to a list ofsubscriber purchases. For example, the APIs may be adapted to receivebarcode data scanned by barcode scanning devices (such as remote controldevices) associated with each subscriber. The APIs may furtherfacilitate storing the list of purchases to removable media or uploadinga list of purchases from removable media to the media service provider.Information about purchases made by a particular subscriber may beaccessed via a media-driven interface similar to an electronic programguide interface. Additionally, the list of purchases may be navigatedvia direct search by inputting search criteria and optionally byinputting user credentials, and performing a search of all purchasesassociated with the particular user.

Referring to FIG. 7, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem is shown and is designated 700. The computer system 700 includesa set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system700 to perform any one or more of the methods or computer basedfunctions disclosed herein. The computer system 700, or any portionthereof, may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g.,using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 700 may operate in thecapacity of a set-top box device, a server, or a mobile computingdevice. The computer system 700 can also be implemented as orincorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), atablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, apalmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, acommunications device, a web appliance, or any other machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, thecomputer system 700 can be implemented using electronic devices thatprovide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a singlecomputer system 700 is illustrated, the term “system” shall also betaken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the computer system 700 may include aprocessor 702, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), agraphics-processing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system700 can include a main memory 704 and a static memory 706 that cancommunicate with each other via a bus 708. As shown, the computer system700 may further include or be coupled to a video display unit 710, suchas a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode(OLED), a flat panel display, a solid-state display, or a projectiondisplay. Additionally, the computer system 700 may include an inputdevice 712, such as a keyboard, a remote control device, and a cursorcontrol device 714, such as a mouse. The computer system 700 can alsoinclude a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718, such as aspeaker or remote control device, and a network interface device 720.The network interface device 720 may be coupled to other devices (notshown) via a network 726.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, the disk drive unit716 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium 722 in whichone or more sets of instructions 724, e.g., software, can be embedded.For example, the instructions 724 may enable the computer system 700 toperform one or more methods or logic described herein. In a particularembodiment, the instructions 724 may reside completely, or at leastpartially, within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/orwithin the processor 702 during execution by the computer system 700.The main memory 704 and the processor 702 also may includenon-transitory computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/item distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a non-transitory computer-readablemedium that includes instructions 724 so that a device connected to anetwork 726 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 726.Further, the instructions 724 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 726 via the network interface device 720.

While the non-transitory computer-readable medium is shown to be asingle medium, the terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and“non-transitory processor-readable medium” include a single medium ormultiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers that store one or more sets ofinstructions. The terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and“non-transitory processor-readable medium” shall also include any mediumthat is capable of storing a set of instructions for execution by aprocessor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or more ofthe methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the non-transitory computer-readable mediumcan be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory.Additionally, the non-transitory computer-readable medium can include amagneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes. Accordingly,the disclosure is considered to include any one or more of anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium and successor media, inwhich data or instructions may be stored.

It should also be noted that software that implements the disclosedmethods may optionally be stored on a tangible storage medium. Forexample, the tangible storage medium may include a magnetic medium suchas a disk or tape. As another example, the tangible storage medium mayinclude a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk. As yetanother example, the tangible storage medium may include a solid statemedium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or moreread-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or otherre-writable (volatile) memories.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to suchstandards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet, otherpacket switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, X10,SIP, TR-069, INSTEON, WEP, Wi-Fi and HTTP) and standards for viewingmedia content (e.g., MPEG and H.264) may represent examples of the stateof the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or moreefficient equivalents having essentially the same functions.Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same orsimilar functions as those disclosed herein are considered equivalentsthereof.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is submitted with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into theDetailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as definingseparately claimed subject matter.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowedby law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by thebroadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and theirequivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoingdetailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a computingdevice of a media service provider, purchase data of a subscriber of themedia service provider, the purchase data including identificationinformation of a first product; in response to receiving the purchasedata, sending, by the computing device of the media service provider,media content associated with the first product to a device associatedwith the subscriber; receiving, by the computing device from the deviceassociated with the subscriber, a search request associated with thefirst product; in response to receiving the search request, determining,by the computing device, a responsible party associated with the firstproduct based on whether a return period associated with the firstproduct is active, wherein determining the responsible party associatedwith the first product comprises: determining, by the computing device,that a return period associated with the first product is active basedon a purchase date associated with the first product; and selecting aseller of the first product as the responsible party associated with thefirst product based on determining that the return period is active;placing, by the computing device, a first call to a communication deviceof the responsible party; placing, by the computing device, a secondcall to a second communication device of the subscriber; and bridging,by the computing device, the first call and the second call.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising, before sending the media content,receiving information indicating an intent to use the first product witha second product, wherein the media content comprises instructions toinstall the first product in the second product.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the purchase data includes identification information of aplurality of products that were purchased by the subscriber, and whereinthe plurality of products includes the first product.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising sending a notification to the deviceassociated with the subscriber in response to determining that anexpiration date of a warranty associated with a particular product ofthe plurality of products is approaching, wherein the purchase dataincludes warranty information associated with the plurality of products.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to the searchrequest, sending second information associated with the first product tothe device associated with the subscriber.
 6. The method of claim 3,further comprising: receiving second information including a consumernotice related to a particular product of the plurality of products,wherein the consumer notice relates to a recall or an upgrade associatedwith the particular product; and sending a notification to the deviceassociated with the subscriber, the notification including particularinformation regarding the consumer notice.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising, in response to receiving, from the device associatedwith the subscriber, a second search request associated with a secondproduct included in second purchase data: determining, by the computingdevice, a second responsible party associated with the second productbased on whether a second return period associated with the secondproduct is active, wherein determining the second responsible partyassociated with the second product comprises: determining, by thecomputing device, that a second return period associated with the secondproduct is not active based on a second purchase date associated withthe second product; and selecting a warrantor of the second product asthe second responsible party associated with the second product based ondetermining that the second return period is not active; placing, by thecomputing device, a third call to a third communication device of thesecond responsible party; placing, by the computing device, a fourthcall to the second communication device of the subscriber; and bridging,by the computing device, the third call and the fourth call.
 8. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising: receiving user credentialsassociated with the subscriber; and correlating the purchase data withthe subscriber based on the user credentials.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein a portion of the purchase data is based on information encodedin a barcode, and wherein the information encoded in the barcode isreceived by the computing device via a remote control device.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the media content includes video content thatdepicts use, installation, troubleshooting, registration, configuration,or a combination thereof, of the first product.
 11. The method of claim1, further comprising sending data to the device associated with thesubscriber, the data configured to activate a function of the firstproduct.
 12. An apparatus, comprising: a processor of a media serviceprovider; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto perform operations including: receiving purchase data of a subscriberof the media service provider, the purchase data includingidentification information of a first product; in response to receivingthe purchase data, sending media content associated with the firstproduct to a device associated with the subscriber; receiving, from thedevice associated with the subscriber, a search request associated withthe first product; in response to receiving the search request,determining a responsible party associated with the first product basedon whether a return period associated with the first product is active,wherein determining the responsible party associated with the firstproduct comprises: determining that a return period associated with thefirst product is active based on a purchase date associated with thefirst product; and selecting a seller of the first product as theresponsible party associated with the first product based on determiningthat the return period is active; placing a first call to acommunication device of the responsible party; placing a second call toa second communication device of the subscriber; and bridging the firstcall and the second call.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein theoperations further include: receiving control criteria associated withthe subscriber from the device, the control criteria identifying secondmedia content, a particular time, and a particular destination device;and sending the second media content to the particular destinationdevice at the particular time.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, whereinthe operations further include determining to send the media content tothe device associated with the subscriber based on a type of informationincluded in the media content.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, whereinthe operations further include sending second media content to thedevice associated with the subscriber in response to determining thatthe second media content includes a software update related to the firstproduct.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving thesearch request at the computing device after sending the media content.